Knorr: a revolution in stock

Delicious & authentic foods

Bouillon cubes are used around the world to add the base flavor to dishes such as sauces, soups and stews. However, even with a trusted product, there is always room for improvement. In 2007, Knorr launched the biggest innovation in stocks and bouillon for nearly 100 years: the Knorr Homestyle Stock*.

Fresh vegetables, the taste of long boiled meat and an appealing aroma distinguishes a traditionally made bouillon from typical existing convenience products. But it comes at a price. Consumers told us that the problem with making bouillon from scratch was that it took too much time, effort and energy, and that it was difficult to get right.

As good as homemade

Unilever chefs and product developers worked closely together to find a way of creating a product which resembled the homemade ‘boiled down’ stock. Our challenge was to translate the quality of traditionally-made stock into a concentrated stable jelly and to lock in the great flavor.

The preparation of Homestyle Stock bouillon is very similar to how it would be made in a kitchen. Freshly frozen vegetables are combined with herbs, spices and meat essence in a large cooking vessel, then gently simmered.

The end product is easy to use and melts naturally into food, delivering a great aroma and taste, while keeping the salt dosage in the end dish flexible. The protected packaging locks in the goodness, requiring no artificial preservatives.

Global launch

Since we first introduced Dense Soup Treasure (as it is called in China) in 2007, we have launched into 13 markets across Europe. And at the start of 2010, we moved into Mexico and Brazil, so now home cooks on a whole new continent are expanding their repertoire and creating wonderful, wholesome dishes for their families.

Each country in which we launch delivers significant market share. For example, in Ireland, we recorded above 30% and in the UK over 15% equated to 650,000 new households entering the category.

Most of this is due to Unilever growing the market. In other words, new users attracted to the category who had previously prepared their stock from scratch or consumers who are now using bouillon more frequently.

Such is the success and appeal of the products, they have been endorsed by renowned chefs including Marco Pierre White in the UK, René Schudel in Switzerland and Jordi Cruz in Spain.

*Knorr Homestyle Stock (as it is called in the U.S.) is on the market under locally relevant names, such as Knorr Stock Pot in the UK, Marmite de Bouillon in France, Bouillon Potje in Belgium and Dense Soup Treasure in China.